Anima Feminam
by Evie Warner
Summary: Lily finds a love spell that helps a pokémon find their destined soul mate, and decides to play cupid. On her first attempt, however, the spell goes awry and ends up affecting a certain young trainer, who winds up in a bit of a predicament when an unintended side effect takes it's course. And with Gary unwillingly caught up in it all, it seems reversing things won't be so simple.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Oh my, what's this? Yet another Palletshipping fic for the wonderful fandom? How simply splendid! A while back I came across a cute piece of fanart which sparked inspiration and quickly evolved into a fic. Since I promised you guys a fluffy, multi-chaptered Shishi fic, I thought 'why not?' That and my muse just wouldn't rest until I began writing this :D

By the way, if you haven't seen the episode 'Hocus Pokémon' you might be a little lost at times. Not hugely, but in case you don't plan on watching the episode, here's the nutshell version: _Ash and co. meet Lily, a pokémon magician, and help her gather ingredients for a spell. Later on, she casts the spell on Ash to allow him to read Pikachu's mind. However, it backfires a little and transforms him into a Pikachu until the next episode_. It's great fun!

**Disclaimer:** Had Pokémon ever been mine, this would be an episode. Or a mini movie. But it's not, so this is the next best thing.

* * *

**Anima Feminasm**

xxx

Breaking the silence that had settled in for the past hour, Lily yawned, her lips forming an imperfect 'o'. In unison with the sound, she stretched her body out, unfolding it from the initially comfortable, curled up position she'd chosen when settling herself on her favourite arm chair. Her joints popped as her limbs extended, leaving behind a blissful sensation as she slumped back against the plump cushions propped up behind her.

A quick glance at the unneccesarily large clock hanging above the fireplace told her that approximately three hours had passed since she'd arrived in the library, and a look out the window informed her that her grandfather would be returning home in no less than twenty minutes. Just enough time for her finish her current chapter.

She picked the book up from it's resting place beside her, propping it open on her stomach, holding it up with her knees while her fingers interwined within her hair, forming a makeshift head rest. Her lilac eyes lazily scanned the page, though her mind was intent, drinking up every word and storing the knowledge for another time, should such an opportunity arise.

Her current book of choice was different from her usual reading material, the charms much more complex and time consuming to create than the relatively basic spells she was used to casting. But still, she could see no harm in studying as much as she could, getting a head start for when her grandfather saw her fit to 'graduate' from a magician to apprentice witch, then eventually sorcress. It was a long way off before that would ever happen, she knew that for sure, but the excitement of learning what she would one day be able to do made her feel all giddy inside, like a kid at an all-you-can-eat ice cream bar.

"_'Krow!_"

The unexpected caw jolted Lily of out her daze, the book tumbling out of her lap at her sudden, jerky movement. She looked around for the source of the noise, her eyes quickly locating a small mass of black feathers circling above her, repeatedly chanting it's name.

"_'Krow! Murkrow, murk!_" The darkness pokémon continued to caw, it's flight pattern suggesting it was enthusiastic about something.

"What's the matter?" Lily asked, holding out her arm for Murkrow to land on. "Did you find something?" She frowned slightly, wondering what on earth her pokémon could be so het up about.

"No," came a voice from behind her, making her jump. "He found some_one_."

Instantly on her feet, Lily spun round, the polished wood flooring making the maneuver easy. Her lilac eyes widened upon seeing the old man standing there. "Grandfather!" She exclaimed, wasting no time in running over to him, then throwing her arms around his middle. "I'm so happy to see you again, it's been so long! How have you been?"

The old man chuckled, returning his granddaughter's hug. "I've been fine, my young crow," he said, patting her head of corral pink hair. "The winds were strong tonight; I had trouble believing I would be back on time."

"I'm just glad you're here," Lily responded, breaking the hug to beam up at him. "And like I said the last time: the earlier, the better."

With a bout of curiosity, the old man raised one grey eyebrow. "Perhaps if I had been early, then that would have been most appropriate," he said. "Young crow, have you checked the time recently?"

Lily tilted her head to the side, confusion showing in her features. "But you _are_ early," she insisted. "I thought you weren't going to be here for another - " She cut off in mid-sentence as she laid eyes upon the clock, which presented her with the fact that just over half an hour had passed since she'd last checked.

"Reading again?" Her grandfather determined, chuckling once again. "Oh, if only your mother had showed such an interest in her own studies." He swerved around Lily, and over to where she had previously been nose deep within a book. "May I ask what has grasped your interest this time, Lily?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" Lily piped, skipping forward to pick up the discarded book on the floor. She brushed some of the gathered dust from it's pages before presenting it to her grandfather. "It's all about theories of pokémon evolution," she explained. "Mostly about item-based evolution, such as how Murkrow needs a Dusk Stone to do so. But the stone itself isn't the source of it's power, it's just a vessel for it. The true essence lies inside, and the creation of them isn't known .. "

As Lily continued her explanation, the old man only nodded here and there, giving no verbal reply. Though when she eventually drew to an end, he took the book from her, examining its cover. "Ah, yes," he mused, "I had an interest in this one when I was your age. A fine read." He promptly handed the book back to her, then turned his gaze towards the variety of shelves it had been selected from.

Lily watched as her grandfather's eyes skimmed over various titles, seemingly looking for one in particular. It wasn't an unusual occurance, and Lily waited patiently, her own eyes fixated on her grandfather's face as he searched, until finally;

"Here we are," he said, swiftly pulling his chosen book from the shelf, so surprisingly fast that Lily felt as though she barely had time to blink before the book was presented to her. "I think you would find this one adequite to your tastes."

Without questioning it, Lily eagerly took the book and examined the title. It was written in an unfamiliar language, one she did not recognise. With a slight frown, she looked up at her grandfather, who seemed to have been expecting it.

"Don't fret over it," he assured. "The original language differs from the one you are familiar with, but this is a translated copy; it is according to tradition that the two covers remain identical."

Lily's eyes lit up in realisation. "Oh! Yes, I understand," she piped, before immediately flipping open the book, her awaiting gaze falling upon full pages of neatly written text, lilac eyes growing larger with each line of ink they drank in. "But .. this is very advanced," she proclaimed, unable to remove her stare, frozen in place by a non existent Ice Beam.

"I am aware of that," was the simple reply.

Still, her gaze did not waver from the page. "So .. what does this mean?" She asked slowly, daring herself to hope.

"You've been progressing at a steady pace for a long while now," the elder explained. "As such, I feel it's only natural you find some new material to expand your skills."

Instantly, Lily's head snapped up, lilac eyes blinking in unconcealed shock. "Do you .. do you really mean it?"

The old man smiled warmly. "In a word: yes."

It was barely a second later when he found himself caught up in a one armed hug, the leather bound book wedged firmly underneath Lily's free one.

"Oh, grandfather, thank you so much!" She almost squealed, but too elated to give it notice. "You won't regret it, I promise! I'll keep studying really hard, and - "

"Lily," her grandfather's voice was commanding, yet affectionate. The teenager's ramblings of thanks immediately came to a halt, and she peaked up at him through her pink fringe. "I ask only one thing of you," he went on, now he had her attention, "as always, you are not to exploit your gift. Magic is a complex and delicate essence; it is unwise to knowingly abuse it."

A rare undertone of seriousness in her eyes, Lily stood up straight and gave a short nod. "I promise," she said, fully intending to keep her word. She recieved a genuine smile in response.

"I don't doubt it," the old man said. "Though it is nice to hear it each time."

xxx

It was well past midnight, several hours having come and gone since she'd retired to her bed, yet Lily was wide awake, practically bouncing with excitement and energy, as though she'd downed a gallon of coffee just five minutes prior.

Though it didn't take long to guess why she was really awake, and exactly what was combating the sleep from her being. The adrenaline similar to that a young child would feel upon their first successful capture of a pokémon was racing through her veins. Her lilac eyes drank in every word they fell upon, carefully memorising each instruction as she lit up the page with a flash light, her duvet draped over her in the typical fashion. Sure, it was cliché and childish for her to do so, but at night, it had always been her favourite way to read in.

Lily had managed to resist losing herself in her new book for quite some time, wanting to spend the rest of the evening with her grandfather's company; since it was rare for him to be able to stay in one place even just for one night, the hours they did spend together was practically sacred.

As always, the evening had passed in their typical fashion; they'd traded stories, had dinner, then spent the first hour of nightfall collecting Dusk Stone fragments and grinding them up for a charm to enhance the abilities of dark type pokémon upon evolution. During the entire time, Lily had spoken nearly non-stop, pausing only to draw breath, or to let her grandfather insert an opinion of his own. It had been far too long since his last visit; Lily had really missed him.

The same as always, Lily had made a promise to herself to get an early night's sleep so she could wake up at dawn to help out with the morning preparations. But yet again, the temptation of a book crammed full of spells and potions galore proved far too tempting to resist for much longer. Thus, this was how Lily wound up in her current situation.

"_'Krow_," came a quiet caw to her right.

Lily paused, drawing her attention from her book, then yanked the covers down to greet the presence. Though it was dark, and her eyes were blinking of their own accord to adjust, she could just about see the outline of her Murkrow, who silently glided through the window, and across the room to settle down on his perch beside Lily's bed.

The young witch smiled at him, reaching out a hand to stroke the midnight blue feathers on his head, and recieving a content caw in response.

"Are you feeling better now?" She inquired, knowing how Murkrow liked to stretch his wings in the cool night air, often disappearing for a few hours at a time.

"_Murkrow, murk!_" Was the response, along with a hint of a poorly concealed smile. Her eyes had adjusted just before it flickered on her pokémon, and her lips curled into a teasing smirk. She also knew exactly what Murkrow got up to on his midnight flights.

"Did you see her again?" Lily asked, surpressing the urge to giggle as the dark type puffed his feathers up in a flustered fashion. And for that matter, could Murkrow _blush?_

"_'Krow! Murkrow, krow, Mukrow, murk row!_" The darkness pokémon hastily protested, flapping his small wings for added effect. But instead of looking intimidating, he just looked adorable.

Lily just laughed at her partner's blatant denial, but didn't have the heart to tease him any further. Besides, she had something more important to tell him about. But, perhaps just a little more ..

"Well, that's just too bad, I guess," she replied with a nonchalant shrug, inwardly smirking. "After all, a certain spell I read about said that I could find about if the two of you were meant to be." She sighed dramatically, even pouting her lips. "Oh well, I suppose there's nothing I can do abou - "

"_Murkrow!_" Came the screeching protest, Murkrow now flapping his wings frantically, the sound alone being enough to cut her off.

Lily returned her gaze to him, her lips curling into a playful smile. "What's the matter?" She asked, her innocent tone as convincing as she could manage. "Are you hungry?"

The darkness pokémon scowled. "_Murkrow, murk!_" He continued to screech, now bordering on desperation. "_Murkrow!_"

Finally, Lily burst out into a fit of giggles. It was cruel to tease him so, but it was just so easy! Still, she granted him mercy, tapping her shoulder once she'd gained control of her laughter. Murkrow graceously accepted the unspoken invitation, settling himself quite comfortably on his trainer's shoulder.

"Okay, speaking seriously now, you must see what I found," Lily said, pulling her knees up to prop the book open against her thighs. She flipped through several pages, and soon found the one she had been reading earlier. "Look!" She said, tilting the book towards Murkrow, who leaned forward to examine the page. "To put it simply, it's a spell that allows any pokémon to find their true love."

If Murkrow had eyebrows, they would have shot up and out of existence. His red eyes widened comically, shifting from the book to instead stare at Lily, who continue to smile.

"I knew you'd react that way," she teased, but let the topic slide. "My point is, if we cast this spell on you, then we could find out who your true love is," she summarised, "and whether or not your girlfriend is whom you're truly meant to be with."

"_Murkrow?_" The darkness pokémon questioned, looking hopeful, but skeptical.

Lily reached up to smooth his feathers. "Don't worry; even if the spell doesn't work, it doesn't mean you two can't stay together," she reassured. "I think it sort of works as confirmation, and whether or not the two of you are compatible."

Murkrow hesitated for a moment, then beamed and nodded. "_'Krow!_" He confirmed, very nearly flapping his wings in excitement, but managing to refrain himself from whipping his feathers against Lily's face.

"Great!" She cheered, her eyes swiftly turning back to the instructions. "Now, the spell doesn't take very long to cast, and there aren't that many ingredients, but they won't be easy to come by." She frowned a little, tapping her chin in thought. "Some of them we have in our storage cabinets, but some of the others .. a red rose petal kissed by a Luvdisc, a hair from the tail of a Buneary, an egg blessed by a Chansey; perhaps a Nurse Joy can help us out there .. "

Murkrow eyed his trainer, her frown becoming more potent as she read on, memorising the list. "_'Krow?_"

Lily looked up, lilac eyes meeting crimson, and a smile gradually graced her lips. "You're right, Murkrow," she said. "If we can collect a scale from a sleeping Salamence, then this should be easier than catching a Magikarp." With that, she slammed the book close, while tickling Murkrow under his beak. "And we'll begin bright and early tomorrow morning!"

"_Murkrow .. murk_," the dark type said, indicating to the clock on the wall. A quick glance told Lily that there was no way she would be arising 'bright and early'.

"Oh," was her response, followed by a shrug. "Well, we still have time to spend with grandfather, so maybe next week."

"_'Krow_," Murkrow confirmed his agreement on the more sensible choice, while Lily placed the leather bound book on her bedside table, then slid down the head board and under the covers, letting out a yawn.

"I don't know about you, but I'm incredibly tired," she said, her eyes already falling close. "Remind me to start packing at some point tomorrow," were her last words before her tiredness overcame her, easily drifting away into sleep.

"_'Krow_," the darkness pokémon cawed, with a subtle roll of his crimson eyes. He hopped over to his perch, settling down and releasing a tired sigh. If Lily was serious about leaving in a few days time, then it would be best for him to get all the rest he could. When the young witch set her mind on something, there was literally nothing that would make her stray from that path.

After all, that Salamence may have been asleep when they entered the cave, but it was definitely awake when they left. Murkrow still had the bald spot to prove it.

xxx

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**Author's Note:** When editing this, I was so nervous! Can't explain why, though .. did I over-indulge on the magic element? Oh well. Next chapter shall be up in a couple of days, just as soon as I get it finished. It'll be back to Ash and the pokémon world in general. Chaos shall ensue! :D

Also, what d'you think? Could you please review and let me know? :)


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note:** And here's the update! :D Thank you for the reviews! I guess the magic element was done decently? It's not a heavy theme in this fic, but still. Also, I want to apologise in advance for this chapter .. is it not well done. I suck so bad at those 'set up' scenes. I tried to do it like in the anime, but yeah .. make of it what you will.

**Disclaimer:** Though I love Pokémon with a passion, I do not own it.

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**Anima Feminam**

xxx

For Ash, Dawn and Brock, that morning in Sinnoh was identical to any other. It started that way, at least.

Just like the morning before, their campsite was enveloped in a pleasantly warm sunlight, the air crisp and fresh; a perfect image to wake up to.

Being the first one to be both awake and dressed, while the younger two had yet to arise, Brock was ready to take on the day. As always, he got breakfast started; if growing up in charge of nine siblings had taught him anything, it was that allowing the sweet aroma of pancakes to waft throughout the house was a sure fire way to wake them all up, bright and chipper. Venturing into the room of a sleeping kid below the age of fifteen was guaranteed to end badly.

Dawn was usually the one to wake next, but it rare for her to venture out of the privacy of her tent before Ash could sit upright. It wasn't her fault, per sae, rather her explosive bed hair that refused to lay flat. She sighed in frustration as she examined the navy resemblance of a Starly's nest upon her head through a compat mirror. With each morning, she always swore it was worse than the one before.

Even so, she'd long since gotten over the constant moping of the daily disaster. Dawn took pride in her long and lovely navy hair, just like the rest of her appearance, from the colour of her nail varnish to her choice of outfit. Long hair was especially cumbersome to manage while out on the road, but the daily annoyance, no matter how persistent, was still a small price to pay in comparison to looking and feeling good.

While the seemingly futile battle between hairbrush and frizzy blue hair commensed, outside the tent was where the final of the trio resided, face buried in his pillow and mind utterly lost within a dream identical to the ones he would have five years ago. His pokémon companion of that time was dozing on his upper back, curled up and snoring softly, a content smile upon his face.

Brock idly gazed over at the sleeping pair as the breakfast cooked. The two were much more alike that they realised, a claim swiftly backed up as Ash stirred in the very moment Pikachu's nose twitched.

"Good morning ~ " Dawn mostly sang as she finally emerged from her tent, followed shortly by Piplup, who gave his own variation of his trainer's greeting.

"Morning, Dawn," the eldest returned, throwing her a quick glance before refocusing his attention on the make-shift stove before him.

Barely supressing a loud yawn, the blunette extended her arms above her head, feeling the satisfaction of getting out of her tent; cosy as it was, she couldn't deny it was lacking the room to stand up in.

Beside her, Piplup was mimicking her actions, his flippers above his head and his beak wide with a drawn out "_Luuuuup!_" as he did so.

Once satisfied, Dawn allowed her hands to drop to her sides, and almost immediately her gaze fell upon the still sleeping Ash just a few feet away. "Is he still asleep?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Brock confirmed, still not looking up. "We did travel pretty far yesterday, but I think you should wake him up. Breakfast is nearly ready."

At that, Dawn's eyes lit up. "Sure, I'm right on it," she said, venturing over to where the trainer lay in his sleeping bag. "Hey Ash," she called, nudging his arm with the tip of her boot, "wake up, breakfast is ready."

The response she got wasn't satisfactory, as Ash simply groaned, then shifted a little. It was obvious he wasn't near consciousness.

"Try waking Pikachu first," Brock suggested. "Maybe he can help."

Dawn looked down at the sleeping pokémon, whose ear continued to twitch as he dream. "It could work," she mused, then a smile worked its way into her lips as she selected a poké ball, releasing a small, beige normal type.

"_Bun, bun!_" The rabbit pokémon exclaimed once she materialised on the ground beside her trainer, who knelt down to be near her level.

"Hey, Buneary," Dawn spoke, catching the rabbit's attention, "could you help me with something?" As Buneary nodded, she continued, "It's nearly time to eat, but those two," she pointed a finger towards the sleeping duo, "won't get up. Do you think you could take care of Pikachu for me?"

Buneary's shiny dark eyes widened a little, then she nodded eagerly. "_Bun!_" She confirmed, in tempo with her nod.

As Dawn straightened up and stepped back to observe the scene, Buneary hopped over to Pikachu, a pink blush showing through her fur. "_Bun_," she cooed, gently nudging Pikachu with her paw, which the electric mouse batted away with his own.

That is, had he not unconsciously held on to Buneary's paw as he did so, unknowingly giving a false impression to the naive young rabbit.

"_Bun .. buneary?_" She barely breathed, staring down at their loosely interwined paws with an unconcealed expression of disbelief. Though it quickly transformed into one of pure joy as she combined it with the relaxed smile on Pikachu's face.

The gleeful cry of her name was all the warning Pikachu got before he was jolted awake by the bouncing ball of brown fur launching herself at him, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"_Pika!_" He yelped, almost sending out an instinctive shock of electricity at the sudden source of attack, but as the only thing he could hear was along the lines of '_Bun! Buneary!_' coupled with the weight of the bunny on top of him, it was enough to prevent the Thunderbolt before it got further than sparking cheeks.

And as things became ever more fortunate, the brief scuffle finally woke the raven haired trainer.

"Hmph, wh - what?" Ash groaned, lifting his face from the pillow and blinking groggily. He winced as the sunlight met his eyes, then buried his face back in the pillow.

"Oh no, Ash!" Dawn immediately exclaimed. "If you sleep late today then we'll never make it to Hearthome City in time!"

" .. huh?" Was the response, as Ash turned his head to the side to look at her, one sienna eye peaking out from under a fringe of dark hair. "D .. Dawn?" He managed through a yawn, muffled the pillow.

Kneeling down once again, the blunette nudged his shoulder to keep him alert. "Yes, it's me," she said impatiently. "Now will you wake up?"

Though his eyes were open, it didn't seem like Ash was fully awake. " .. mmm .. ?" He murmured, his body becoming lax again as consciousness left him.

"Ash!" Dawn almost shouted, her patience wearing thin. "Would you just wake up already? Come on, Hearthome City's not that far away; if we leave in a couple of hours, then we'll get there by this evening."

Having stayed on the sidelines until that moment, Brock finally intervined. "That's not the way to do it," he informed the Co-ordinator, then directed his next statement to the half conscious trainer, "Hey Ash, your next gym battle is coming up!"

That did it. Once the words had sunk in, Ash was sat up so fast Dawn actually jumped in surprise, and his previously tired eyes now alert.

"The next gym?" He repeated, then smiled. "When are we leaving?"

Beside him, Dawn rolled her eyes, then repeated what she had said just a few moments ago, "After breakfast, then we'll be there by this evening. Don't you remember talking about this yesterday?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I remember," Ash said, climbing out of his sleeping bag to stand up straight. "Hearthome Gym, here I come - !"

"Ash," the eldest of the three interrupted, before the trainer could get carried away again and begin dashing off in what he assumed to be the right direction, "first thing is first; breakfast."

Catching himself in mid-action, Ash rubbed the back of his head almost sheepishly. "Oh right, gotta keep out strength up, huh, Pikachu?"

A brief look of confusion crossed Ash's features as he recieved no reply from his pokémon companion, before he quickly scanned the area, his gaze soon falling upon a peculiar sight near his feet.

Pikachu, looking extremely nervous and unsure, was pinned to the ground under the weight of an overly enthusiastic Buneary, whose tiny arms were around his neck and holding him a hug as she nuzzled her face against his cheek.

"_Pika .. _"

xxx

As the pancakes diminshed, the morning slowly passed. Afterwards, while Brock was busying himself with clearing up, and Ash was off collecting water by the nearby river, Dawn was left to entertain herself. Having prised the little bunny away from her self-proclaimed true love, Buneary was now thoroughly enjoying being pampered by her trainer, which included being brushed with a special comb Dawn had bought, which would ensure that her fur would remain light and fluffy. An especially important requirement considering the upcoming Contest which would await them both in Hearthome City.

"_Bun .. neary .. _" The bunny cooed, her eyes closed and a smile on her face as she enjoyed the sensations the brush was creating.

Hearing the sound, Dawn gave a smile of her own. "Does that feel nice, Buneary?" She inquired, her pokémon giving a nod in confirmation. "You'll dazzle everyone at the next Contest, I just know it!"

"_Bun, bun!_" Came the enthusiastic reply, earning a giggle from her trainer.

"You said it," Dawn responded. "Now hold still, I'm almost do - "

"_Krow!_"

At the sound, Dawn paused in mid-action, the brush barely an inch from the tip of Buneary's ear. "Huh?" Was all she could manage, before;

"_Krow! Murkrow!_"

Instantly, Dawn redirected her gaze from her pampered pokémon to the skies, where a distinct shape of black feathers stood out against the back drop of blue sky, hovering just a few feet above the camp.

"_'Neary?_" The bunny questioned, also staring up at the bird pokémon in the sky, which was now beginning to circle above her and Dawn, continuing to caw.

Narrowing her eyes a little, Dawn scanned through her mind, searching for a name to put to the pokémon she knew she'd seen somewhere before. And not very long ago, at that ..

"Is that a Murkrow?" It seemed Ash had come to the conclusion sooner than she had, though the verification sparked something else in her mind.

"Do you think it might be Paul's?" She mused, recalling how the purple haired trainer had used a Murkrow against Cynthia's Garchomp. "It looks like it knows us, so maybe he's - "

"You found one!" Again, Dawn was cut off, and as she instinctively turned to face the direction of the new voice, she could honestly admit she hadn't expected what she saw. "Oh Murkrow, we've finally found one!"

A teenage girl, around the same age as Brock, was running towards Dawn at a surprising speed, but her lilac eyes weren't focused on the blunette, but rather who was in her lap.

"A Buneary!" The pink haired girl exclaimed the micro second she was standing before Dawn, and without a moment's hesitation, she'd scooped up the bewildered bunny and was holding her at arms length. "I can't believe it, we've finally found one!"

As if Buneary wasn't the only one in shock, Dawn was more or less frozen where she sat, only able to stare up at the girl, who seemed oblivious to her surroundings. Pretty much everything in general but the Buneary in her arms.

"Uh .. " Dawn managed once she'd found her voice, " .. wh - who are you?" It was a perfectly reasonable question, but it didn't seem to register with the girl, who continued her joyous ramblings as though nothing else existed.

Dawn was honestly unsure if she should be worried right about now, and the boys fared no better, only able to observe the scene through their own shock.

"Um, Brock?" The raven asked, unable to redirect his gaze. "Should we do something .. ?"

In another situation, Brock would have found the expressions on both Ash and Dawn's faces hilarious. But considering he was likely wearing the same mask of surprise at the time, and that it was justified for all three, he really wasn't sure how to react.

"Wow, it's so hard to find a Buneary, much less such a pretty one!" The newcomer went on, but had she been paying any ammount of attention to the pokémon in her arms, she would have seen the annoyed expression rapidly growing on the bunny's face rapidly shift into a much more positive one. Even more so as she went on, "Goodness, your fur is so soft, you must take such good care of yourself. Oh, I'm so jealous! Why can't I get Murkrow's feather's like that - ?"

"_Excuse me!_"

The shout from the less-than-impressed blunette, now on her feet with her hands on her hips, was enough to halt the pink haired girl's ramblings, as well as any movement she could make.

Dawn, now glaring at the stranger with undisguised annoyance, just managed to refrain herself from letting out a frustrated huff. "Could you please tell me who you are?"

Lilac eyes blinked in confusion for a full few moments, before realisation lit them up. "Oh! I do apologise, I didn't mean to get so carried away," she said with a good natured laugh. "My name is Lily, and I'm a pokémon magician."

Now it was Dawn's turn to be confused. "A .. pokémon magician?" She repeated skeptically, unsure if Lily was to be believed.

The magician in question nodded eagerly, oblivious to the blunette's confusion. "Yes, and I'm looking for the final ingredient to complete my latest spell. And I've been searching for _weeks_, but only now I've found a Buneary!"

In response to the revelation, Dawn blinked. " .. huh?"

Before Lily could continue her explanation, she was interrupted by the inquiry of, "So you're a pokémon magician?"

Both girls turned to face the source, finding that Ash and Brock had come to stand near them at some point during their somewhat conversation.

"Yes, that's right," Lily confirmed with a smile, "and like I just said, Murkrow and I have been searching for a Buneary for weeks. I never knew they would be so hard to find!" She said this with a laugh. "But now I've found one, I can finally complete my spell!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Dawn intervined. "If you're really a magician, then why do you need Buneary?" There was a subtle hint of worry in her tone, but Lily waved her hand, as though brushing said worry aside.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. I'd never do anything to hurt a pokémon, and all I need from your Buneary is a - "

As her gaze flickered over to Ash, her sentence came to an abrupt halt. Her lips pressed together into a slight frown after a moment of silence, and her eyes narrowed in thought.

"You look awfully familiar," she eventually said, almost leaning in Ash's direction. "Have we met before?"

Sienna eyes stared back into lilac, laced with bewilderment. He certainly couldn't recall ever meeting this girl before in his life, but to be fair, he had met a lot of people, and it was pretty easy to lose track. Though it turned out it didn't matter, if Lily's sudden gasp was anything to go by.

"Yes, I remember you!" She exclaimed, practically alight with joy. "We met a few years back; your Pikachu helped me with a spell to read a pokémon's mind!" Her lilac eyes immediately shifted from Ash to search for the yellow mouse in question, locating him sitting a short distance away beside Piplup. "Oh, look at you!" She practically squealed, swerving past all three trainers, dropping Buneary into Dawn's arms to rush over and scoop up the electric type. "You're still as cute as I remember."

Brock, who had been on the sidelines during the bizarre occurance, continued to observe the magician's interaction with the electric mouse, who seemed to show some kind of knowledge of their apparent past encounter with the pink haired girl. Finally, as images of Team Rocket, a Parasect, and a spell gone wrong, it clicked in his mind.

"Hey, weren't you the one who changed Ash into a Pikachu?" He asked, earning him confused looks from everyone but one present. As Lily's gaze fell on him, he elaborated, "It was back in Johto; you needed a Pikachu's electricity, and when you cast the spell on Ash, it ended up turning him into a Pikachu."

"What?" Dawn spoke up, her stare shifting from Brock to Ash. "You were a Pikachu?"

"That's right!" Lily answered for him. "It wasn't supposed to go quite like that, but the last page was so smudged I couldn't read it."

As they reminisced about times gone by, the memory soon emerged to the forefront of Ash's mind. "Yeah, I remember that," he said, thoughts of those few hours he'd spent in a form nearly identical to his best friend swimming about in his mind. He recalled panicking at first with the change, before Lily had assured everyone that it was only a temporary change, at which he'd decided it was awesome.

"Wait a minute," Dawn spoke up again, looking more than a little confused with the developments. She turned to face Ash fully, pointing the brush at him, "Are you telling me that Lily once changed you into a Pikachu?" When Ash nodded, she frowned. "Were you ever going to tell me this?"

"It never came up in conversation!" Ash defended, knowing that he would have told her, had he remembered before that moment.

Thankfully, Lily cut in, "I never did try that spell again. I'm trying to find out what was on the last page, but I haven't got round to it." She suddenly looked hopeful. "Would you be willing to help me out with it again? I'd really appreciate it!"

At the request, Ash took a step back, his hands out in front of him defensively. "Uh, I'd rather pass," he said, sweat dropping. As fun as it had been the last time, he wasn't sure he wanted to risk the transformation again.

Lily pouted a little at the denial. "That's a shame," she said, then shrugged. "But no matter; there's a new spell I need to try out, and I need Buneary's help for it." She then turned back to the bunny in question, who was still nestled in her trainer's arms. "Could you please give me a hair from your tail?"

Though Buneary seemed fairly willing to help out, Dawn cut in, "Wait a minute, what kind of spell are you talking about?"

"It's nothing dangerous, if that's what you're worried about," Lily said. "In fact, it's the complete opposite. It's a love spell."

Had her gaze been just a little lower, she would have noticed the bunny's ears prick up at the revelation.

xxx

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes! The annoying, awkward chapter is done! Now onto the good stuff; namely Gary's debut xD His part in all of this shall be SO fun to write.

But until then, could you please offer some of your time to grant me a review? I'd be most honoured should you choose to do so :)


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Note:** Lightning! And thunder, too. Holy crap, it's loud. My dog is very distressed right now, poor thing xD In other news, it's been almost three months since chapter two .. oops. For anyone still following this, you are so sweet and so very patient. Inspiration for this has been severely lacking .. but don't worry! I shall never abandon a story! And this fic is entirely planned out, so plot-wise I don't have to stress myself out in having to sort that out. In fact, this might be done by the end of August, with any luck.

Summer is not good to my muse :'(

**Disclaimer:** Nope, Pokémon still isn't mine.

* * *

**Anima Feminam**

xxx

"It's ready!"

After an hour of sitting cross-legged in front of a make-shift potion set, an unusual look of determination plastered over her normally cheerful and bright features, Lily sat up, exclaiming those two words with her arms out wide.

Before her, a small glass bowl bubbled with a pinkish substance which emitted a scent that was surprisingly pleasant. Though putting into consideration that it was a love spell, it made sense that it would smell nice.

That said, Buneary, who had been eagerly observing the entire potions making from a safe distance, jumped up to her feet with an overjoyed cry of her name. She bounced on the spot, unable to reign in her enthusiasm at the completion of the strange witch's potion. Behind her, the trio of humans came over upon hearing Lily's announcement, with Pikachu a few steps in front of them. And as much as she tried, Buneary couldn't redirect her gaze from the electric type, feeling a sense of elation rising within her stomach.

"It's done?" Dawn inquired unnecessarily, taking her seat next to the excited bunny pokémon.

Lily nodded, her pink curls bouncing wildly against her face. "The spell is done; now all I need is a volunteer to cast it on," she spoke, though a paw was raised up in the air before she had finished her sentence.

"_Bun!_" Came Buneary's call, bouncing up in tempo with her voice.

"Alright, then," Lily replied, smiling at the energetic bunny. "Are you ready?"

Once again, Buneary was already one step ahead, jumping forward to stand in front of Lily before she'd really asked her question. Her eyes were straight and pointed, as she smiled up at the teenage witch.

"Wow, I wouldn't have thought Buneary would be so eager to volunteer," the bunny heard Brock comment from behind her. She tilted her head slightly, eyeing the trio of trainer with curiosity as Ash spoke next.

"After what happened to me last time, I wouldn't be so hasty to agree."

Confusion made the young bunny frown. What on earth were they indicating at?

Thankfully, Dawn voiced the question Buneary could not, "What makes you say that?"

Brock chuckled slightly, apparently caught up in a memory. "Remember what we told you about last time we met Lily?" He asked, continuing when Dawn nodded. "It just goes to show you that anything can happen, really. Ash was supposed to be able to get into a Pikachu's mind-set, but he got turned into a Pikachu himself. Who says that this spell won't backfire in some way?"

Dawn's blue eyes widened comically. "You really think that could happen? As in .. Buneary ends up as a human for a while?" Her eyebrows drew together at the thought. Now there was something to ponder over for a while ..

"Not necessarily," Brock interjected. "Since this spell is different, Buneary isn't trying to read your mind, or anything of the sort. Last time the spell did what it was meant to, just not in the way any of us anticipated. Who's to say it won't work out the same this time? Buneary is meant to find her soul mate this way, but how is the situation meant to unfold?"

"I get it," she said, tapping her chin. "As in, Buneary could end up being teleported away to her soul mate and we won't know where she is, or she could end up attracting a lot of pokémon and having to pick from them?"

"That and more," Brock agreed. "I don't mean to be supersticious about this kind of stuff, but it's hard not to when I've seen a lot of crazy stuff since I met Ash."

And as expected, a protest of "Hey!" followed shortly. The breeder and the co-ordinator turned to face Ash, who was frowning slightly at them.

"You asked to come," he elaborated, as Pikachu jumped up to sit on his lap, observing the budding disagreement unfold.

"That's not true, Ash," Brock said. "Don't you remember? You offered, and I accepted."

The raven-haired trainer paused for the entirety of half a minute, rummaging through the memories in question at the back of his mind. His sienna eyes glazed over for a few moments, then blinked and brought themselves back to focus. "Oh yeah," he mumbled, then spoke louder, "but it's not like you couldn't have said no, or anything."

Dawn, having chosen her seat to be between her two companions, switched her gaze back to Brock, her eyes having flickered back and forth during the small banter.

"Let's stop before we start losing the point," Brock resigned. "There are much more interesting things to focus on."

"Indeed there is," Lily spoke up, her azure eyes having never left the still bubbling potion in front of her. "I hate to break this up, but if you'd like to see how the spell goes, then it has to be now. The book says it needs to be cast while the potion is still freshly-made." And for good measure, she spun around the book that lay open beside her, allowing the text to be upright for the three-person audience. "I'm ready whenever you are."

At that, Dawn smiled. "Alright then. Buneary, are you - "

A generous ammount of time had passed since the day Dawn had captured the bunny pokémon, during which the co-ordinator had found their personalities to be much more alike that she'd originally thought. That said, Dawn could tell a lot about each of her pokémon simply by looking at them. Perhaps it was their body language, or some kind of mysterious bond that countless trainers through history claimed to be the most sacred form of a pokémon's abilities, but whatever the reason, Dawn could read Buneary like a book. And right now, the brown bunny was without a doubt more nervous than the day she had met Pikachu.

"Buneary?" The blunette inquired, tilting her head in a natural show of concern for the normal-type. "Are you feeling okay?"

The bunny in question didn't acknowledge her trainer's words. Her dark eyes, previously focused on the trio, were staring straight at the ground as she gripped a tuft of beige fur between her paws, twisting it nervously while idly shifting her weight.

"_Bun_," the normal-type's small voice quivered, her dark eyes trailing up to meet her trainer's. "_Bun .. buneary .. _" Her long ears drooped a little, one eclipsing part of her face until she pushed it aside.

And suddenly, there it was. The sole action from Buneary was all that was needed for the blue pair of eyes watching her to widened. Then, as they diverted to the teenager on her left, narrowed while her lips pressed themselves into a tense line.

"You scared her," were the blunette's accusing words. The teen whom the words were directed at leaned back slightly, as if the they had dealt him a physical push. "Did you have to bring all of that up now, Brock?"

The breeder's own gaze lingered on Dawn's for a moment, then swivelled over to the normal-type, who continued to fiddle with tufts of her beige fur. Shortly thereafter, she was scooped up into her trainer's arms.

"_Bun, buneary_," the bunny pokémon cooed, looking up into concerned blue eyes.

"It's okay, Buneary," the blunette assured, offering the bunny pokémon a kind smile. "If you don't want to do it, then that's fine. No need to worry."

Buneary tilted her head, inquiring mutely, and managed a smile as her trainer gave a short nod. She hugged the blunette with as much force as her small arms could manage, a content coo in her poké-language emitting past her lips.

"So, uh, what happens now?" Ash's voice broke through the moment, making both the co-ordinator and her pokémon divert their gaze towards him. "If Buneary doesn't wanna do it, who's gonna volunteer instead?"

"Oh, any is fine," Lily said absently, flicking her wrist aside. "But you really ought to hurry up; this mixture is starting to cool down."

"Alright," Ash replied, then his sienna gaze turned towards the other two pokémon present. "Pikachu, Piplup, either one of you guys wanna step up?"

The reactions of the two pokémon were divided; Piplup folded his petite flippers across his chest, shaking his head with a '_lup!_' in verbal confirmation, while Pikachu's pointed ears twitched, and at the penguin's refusal, gave his variation of a shrug.

"_Pi_,_ pika_," he replied, jumping down from his trainer's lap. He directed a smile up at Buneary, who smiled and blushed, burying her face against her own trainer's arm.

"Well, I guess that's settled, then," Brock commented. "Is that right, Pikachu?"

The electric mouse turned towards the breeder, giving a happy nod of his head. "_Pikachu!_" He chirped with equal cheerfulness.

"Excellent!" Lily exclaimed. "Are you ready to do it now, Pikachu?"

The pokémon in question nodded once more, running the short distance on all fours, then standing up to look up at the pink-haired teen with a smile. "_Pi, pikachu!_"

With speed to rival a Scizor, the young witch poured a generous amount of the bubbling, rose-tinted liquid into a glass vial shaped conveniently for Pikachu to hold. He took it in his paws, tumbling back onto the ground to sit, being careful not to spill a single drop.

"Alright, Pikachu, you drink that while I cast the spell. But not a moment too soon, you understand? I don't know what the side-effects that could cause," Lily instructed, her voice taking on an authoritive tone that didn't fit with her bubbly personality.

Nonetheless, Pikachu nodded his confirmation. Murkrow swooped down from a branch high above the group, the height having allowed him to observe the goings-on until the spell was ready to cast. As such, his assistance was now required.

"On my count, Pikachu," Lily spoke as the darkness pokémon landed on her shoulder, ready to take flight once again. "And everyone else keep back, unless you're willing to be human test subjects."

The bridge of Dawn's nose crinkled at the thought. "If there's side-effects, then count me out," she murmured under her breath, stepping back to retake her seat between her two companions.

Buneary leapt from her trainer's arms, landing softly on the ground before hopping over to the brave electric mouse. His inky black eyes met her's, and without granting him the chance to question her actions, she threw her arms around him, hugging him as best she could. She cooed words in her poké-language, perhaps of admiration or concern, but they seemed to have the desired effect. Though momentarily stunned at the bunny's forwardness, the initial surprise soon wore off, and Pikachu patted her shoulder with a tiny fist, his other arm keeping a firm hold on the vial.

"_Pikachu ~ _" He chirped in her ear, and she nuzzled against him, continuing to murmur words to him. Though unfortunately for the bunny, her brief moment of perfection came to an abrupt and unwelcome end by an annoyed chirp from a certain blue penguin.

His blue flippers crossed and an expression to match, Piplup made no attempt to hide his distaste to the scene playing out before him. But thankfully for those involved, a disapproving frown from their trainer prevented either the penguin or the bunny developing the scene anymore than necessary.

xxx

"Okay Pikachu, just relax ~ " Lily cooed, her usually chipper voice uncharacteristically spaced out and slow. "Clear your mind and nothing can go wrong."

Less than a foot's distance from where Lily knelt, Pikachu sat with his eyes closed. His face impassive and his ears drooping slightly as he obediently followed her instructions, he cleared his mind of all coherent thought. The sweet scent emitting from the simmering potion filled his senses, clouding his head and making the order rather simple to obey. Perhaps a little too well, considering he felt content enough to fall asleep right there and then. It was only Lily's voice that kept his mind active enough to stay conscious.

Though what exactly she was saying was a challenge in itself. He could hear her speak, but the words were distant, disoriented, and like they'd been merged into one long quote of unintelligible ramblings. But at the same time, they seemed to echo through his head in a way that felt as though she were speaking directly from within his mind.

"Pikaaaa .. " He murmured, the words forming as if he were speaking through a dream.

Then, the strangest sensation reached him. The very tips of his ears began to tingle, the feeling enough to compare to the numerous times he'd fallen asleep with his weight on his arm then woken up with little feeling in it. As though the nerves in his ears were gradually waking up after a long, deep sleep.

Involuntarily, Pikachu felt his ears twitch with irritation. The sensation wasn't unpleasant, and though annoying it was easily ignored, but it was still enough to coax a natural reaction from him before he could stop it.

The sensation began to spread. At first it was subtle enough to remain unnoticed, but when Pikachu's ears twitched once more, the tingling began to flow through his body, consuming him as though he sat beneath a small stream of water pouring directly onto his head.

He felt trapped, consumed by the strange feeling, but there was something within him, perhaps an intuitive realisation, that reassured him it was fine. That it was the exact thing that was meant to happen.

But then there was something else.

A distant rumbling, a sound insistent to force its way through the barrier of water clogging up his sensitive ears.

A voice, maybe? Not .. bouncy enough to be music, but too sharp to be considered an appropriate voice for a casual conversation. He strained his ears, eager to grasp onto the one thread connecting his mind to the physical reality outside.

The incessant murmuring grew in volume, irking Pikachu's senses and forcibly coaxing him away from the warm, dark bliss of sleep. His head felt light in comparison to the rest of his body, which weighed down with the density of a well-fed Munchlax. Perhaps that was contributing to his losing battle against the looming sense of consciousness. Had his body been willing to move, then he would have simply turned over and buried his face in the sleeping bag, or at least covered his ears to plug out any other source of sound.

But the mumbling continued to the point that Pikachu knew he'd lost the mental struggle. He sighed, an action he took only because he was certain he could do it. There was no point in resuming a futile battle.

Only then, he felt something touch his face, a tender motion that caught his attention. His eyelids were shut and though he knew they would not betray his command to part, he found himself unwilling to give the mental order.

At least, not until the soft, quivering coo of "_Bun?_" alerted his senses, warm breath ghosting over the sensitive skin below his ear and making them twitch. There was no hesitation as his eyes snapped open of their own accord.

For a moment everything was blurred, but Pikachu didn't blink, his eyes staring straight ahead to what he quickly determined to be the sky. His ears could have been filled to the brim with water for all the sound that reached them, muffled words filled the air around him as though they'd been spoken from under the surface of the ocean.

Time passed, either minutes or seconds, before he blinked. The distorted corners of his vision took their time in returning to their original shapes, but it went unnoticed as a small shadow obscured Pikachu's face. Rather than move away to locate the source, the answer was clear from the get-go, as a pair of concerned chocolate-brown eyes gazed back into his own.

xxx

While the air outside of the bubble of tranquillity was a mixture between confusion and concern.

"Hmm .. perhaps it takes a while to kick in," Lily mused, tapping her index finger against her chin whilst examining the disoriented, but otherwise unaffected electric mouse. "You never really know with magic, especially the first time you cast a spell." With a flick of her wrist, the book was open in her lap, azure eyes scanning over the correct page. "No .. no, it doesn't say. How convenient." She snapped the book shut with a huff. "I really don't know what to say at this point; either the spell didn't work or it takes time to take effect .. or could it be possible that Pikachu doesn't _have_ a soul mate?"

The development lit up the witch's eyes with intrigue, their gaze returning to watch for any physical changes in Pikachu. "After all, there's no guarantee. For all we know I cast it on a pokémon who doesn't have a destined soul mate .. unless no one will know unless he meets them." Her lips firmly set themselves into a frown. "The downside to being a magician - half the time the spell books never contain the right instructions. What am I supposed to do if there's an emergency?" In her moment of over-dramatics, she threw her arms in the air. "Well, I'm stumped. The only thing left to do is wait and see."

"Wait and see for what?" Dawn questioned, drawing her eyes away from the two small pokémon half-embracing on the grass. "You must know if it did something?"

"I would answer that if I could," the witch mused. "I certainly _felt_ the magical pulse, but perhaps it wasn't strong enough to create the desired effect. Unless I mixed it up again by accident," she added with a wary look towards Pikachu and Buneary, the former having steadied himself on his own two legs. "Perhaps I should contact my grandfather, he usually knows what's what with magic. In fact, he memorised every last book in the library, word for word, by the time he was eighteen. Speaking of which, I have a lot of catching up to do!"

Snatching a pen from her bag, Lily hastily scribbled something down on a scrap of paper and handed it to Ash. "Here you go. If anything abnormal happens to Pikachu -_anything_ at all- I want to call me on this number, okay?" She gave him a smile and no time to respond before she whirled round, swiftly gathering her things up and slotting them back into her back. "The life of a magician is a busy one, so I must make like an Exceggutor and split from you guys; form my own pack of Exceccute and evolve again, that's my plan." She rammed her fist onto her open palm. "And remember, you must tell me if anything happens to Pikachu! At least then I can have some decent instructions."

With a swish of her skirt and a flap of dark wings, both Lily and Murkrow disappeared deep into the forest, leaving behind a bewildered trio of pokémon trainers.

The youngest was the first to break her silence. "She's certainly .. energetic," she commented, blue eyes staring after the route Lily had departed down.

"Energetic, huh?" Brock added, standing by the blunette's side. "I'd say she's more - "

"_Ka - chuu!_" Pikachu inadvertently cut him off, shaking his head to throw away the after-shock of the sudden sneeze.

"Yeah," his trainer spoke, rubbing the spot behind the electric mouse's ears. He found himself staring over his shoulder not a moment later, towards the forest stretching out in the opposite direction. "I'd say energetic sums it up well .. "

xxx

"Meeting a real-life witch was fun and all, but it feel so cheated that we didn't see any actual magic," Dawn spoke with a slight pout, carefully pulling a brush through her navy hair.

"Hey, it could have been worse," Brock interjected. "Just because nothing happened doesn't automatically make it bad; at least it didn't backfire like last time."

Dawn thought this over for a moment, before her lips curved into a smile. "I guess you're right," she agreed, then as an after-thought, added, "Even if it means we'll get to Jublife City a day later than planned."

"We're all in one piece, aren't we?" Brock continued. "And Pikachu is in perfect health. I'm just happy everyone is in their correct form, don't you agree, Ash?" His answer never came, and when he turned to face the addressed trainer, he found Ash gazing off to the side, eyes glazed and deep in thought. "Ash?" He repeated.

It wasn't until Pikachu tugged on his trainer's sleeve with a concerned "Pikapi?" that sienna eyes blinked, regaining their focus and directing themselves down to the electric mouse.

"Uh, yeah .. what's up, Pikachu?" He inquired, to which the electric mouse tilted his head.

"You zoned out a bit there, Ash," Brock filled in.

Once again, sienna eyes blinked, tinged with confusion. "Oh," he said simply, "right, sorry .. " With a sheepish grin, Ash rubbed the back of his head.

With a quick wave of his hand, Brock ushered the younger's worry aside. "I think we're all pretty tired, and if we leave early in the morning we can get to Jublife by the late afternoon, considering we don't stop along the way." Though with their natural group ability to attract trouble like metal to a Magnemite, his final comment fell comfortably into another wishful thought. His gaze turned up from his back-pack to see the trainer staring off to the side once again, though in a lesser trance-like manner.

"Well after today, I'm exhausted," Dawn said, covering her mouth as she yawned. "I could use a good night's sleep. Night, you two." She retreated into her tent, barely acknowledging the response she got.

Minutes later, Brock was near-enough asleep, and as the light in Dawn's tent flickered out, the temporary camp-site was enveloped in darkness.

Pikachu, muffling his own yawn, was content to finally settle down beside his trainer, curling up and letting his eyes close. Sleep came easy to him, but though he was out a moment later, his trainer remained fully conscious. Any other night, Ash would have been asleep at that moment, but instead of rolling over onto his front and drifting off into nostalgic dreams of battles and championships, he found himself on his back, eyes fixated on the distant stars above, the light of which illuminated the small opening of the forest enough to make out the rough outline of the surroundings.

A frown reached Ash's expression, his lips pressing into a firm, straight line while his eyebrows narrowed, his forehead tense.

He was restless; that much he knew. But the information, which usually would have sated his curiosity, only irked him further. Perhaps it was the full day's loss of journey, he pondered, allowing his head to loll to the side, his glazed eyes idly taking in small details from the forest before them.

_Yeah, that's probably it_, he told himself, remaining unsure of his own words.

The cool, night breeze rustled the tree branches hanging a short distance away, the nocturnal calls of Hoothoot sounding a chorus deep within the forest where Ash felt he'd rather be. The prickling's of exhaustion crept over him, weighing down his eyelids as minutes passes, building up into a countless jumble as sienna eyes stared, yet remained unseeing. And against the wishes of his over-active curiosity, the moment they closed, Ash fell into a dreamless sleep.

xxx

Hours later, and the campsite was still, enveloped in the cool darkness of the night that contrasted with the heat of the day. It was a peaceful, comfortable setting in a visual perspective, but the illusion was shattered as the raven-haired one of the travelling trio was trapped in an unconscious fit, his body turning this way and that as his mind futilely tried to succumb to sleep.

A thin layer of sweat covered Ash's skin, his breathing coming in shallow gasps as his forehead tensed, as though he were experiencing agony far beyond the mere capacity of words.

But as though a shower of icy water had come crashing down upon him, every fevered movement in Ash's body froze, sienna eyes snapping open to stare up at the starry skies aboves. His chest rose and fell with each deep, even breath he took, a sharp contrast to the sharp gasps that shook his body a few moments previous.

Random thoughts drifted lazily through his clouded mind, flexible as smoke and just as impossible to grasp on to. His eyelids weighed down, depleting the minimal level of energy he had in the effort to keep them open. Moving the rest of himself came easily to him, his body strangely light and willingly to comply with his hazy demands. The effort to push himself up to stand was as simple as doing it underwater.

And then, with barely a moment to call hesitation, the campsite he left behind blurred away from the reality his mind could focus on. The forest became rapidly darker with each step he took deeper in, yet the path he was focused on was bright, as though lit up by a parade of Chinchou.

But when his foot snagged onto an uplifted tree root, he fell almost comfortably to the ground, the rush of air stealing away the motivation he had. His body heavy and exhausted, resting against the grass that felt like the softest bed of feathers beneath him, the simple action of closing his eyes was all it took to lose himself in the dark cocoon of tranquillity that enveloped his every sense.

* * *

**Author's Note:**I don't like this .. I really don't. I'm no good with Ash / Dawn / Brock conversations! But it's done, and I. Am. Relieved. I've been adding to this chapter little by little throughout the past three months, and it's FINALLY done! Such a huge weight off my shoulders, I feel so light and springy right now .. I shall skip off into the sunset ~

Oh, I found out why the thunder was so loud. Turns out my window was wide open. Perhaps I should close it.

Once again, I shall ask the everlasting question .. if you, unlike myself, enjoyed this chapter, then pretty please may you leave a review? They're always SO wonderful to receive ~

Also, next chapter? Gary. Yes, finally! xD


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